Secretary of the Arts?

How about a Secretary to Fix the Economy. I find that more useful.

This definitely falls into the category of "Be Careful What You Wish For!"
We have suffered enormously from the politicization of the National Endowment for the Arts. Just imagine the culture war fodder that would arise from a cabinet position on Culture!

Scary.

Obama is not the savior of the arts community! Look what he has done. He has made a star out of a known copyright infringer, Shepard Fairey. Anyone with internet access and the sense to search 'Shepard Fairey' on Google knows that he has stolen from artists like Rene Mederos, butchered there works in order to profit off of them with NO credit to the artists he stole from. And Obama boldy claims that he supports the art of Shepard Fairey? What gives and why is the arts community supporting it? Very few have pointed this out about Obama. People are scared to speak against him. Meanwhile orphan works legislation is close to being passed and Obama has not made his position known about it even though people have asked him since early 2007. It is ovious that he supports it. Look out artists, you just voted away your rights.

If Obama apologizes to the arts community for promoting copyright infringement I may support a move like this. Until then I will oppose it.

A Cabinet post for the arts is a wonderful idea. It would recognize the arts not only as a cultural entity but as an economic one. In every large city, culture supports the economy. When the arts are in financial trouble, it's not just the artists and their institutions that suffer, but an enormous number of ancillary businesses. My blog, www.joannemattera.blogspot.com, has a post up now: "Where's the Bailout for The Arts?" The financial fallout from arts neglect is greater than you might at first imagine.

Ummm Shostakovich had a "Secretary of the Arts" too. The same one that caused other contemporaneous Russian composers like Prokofiev and Stravinsky to flee the country. That was obviously a very different time, place and ideology--I just don't think that Art and Government go together; in a free society Government should *fear* the arts. As much as I respect and admire Quincy Jones, I just don't understand the need for this cabinet post, to be paid for presumably with Chinese capital and/or hyper-inflated US dollars. I am a Democrat who campaigned for Obama, BTW. My $.02

If there is a "bail out of the arts," I hope Joanne pays for it, and not me.

I think we can all agree that funding and wide-spread support for the arts is down. What I want to know is what a Secretary of the Arts would do that the Secretary of Education shouldn't already be doing?

Constitutionally, it doesn't matter whether or not we "like" this idea of a secretary of the arts, the fact is, it has no place in a free society.

Artists (musicians, dancers, actors, poets...etc.) are the biggest champions of individual expression and personal freedom I know. Yet somehow, they think it's okay to create a cabinet position to impose their values on the rest of the country. This is no different from a nasty special interest group lobbying government to get some preferential treatment. It's unfair to everyone else who has to support big government with their wallets.

...not mentioning the harm this this would do to the arts.

It might be a great idea, but I have worked for the NEA and believe me, it is a ineffectual, inefficient government institution that needs a desperate overhaul. After the trauma it suffered during the Bush, Jane Alexander, Ivey, and Gioia years, it is amazing it can ever figure out what exactly is its mission statement. The amount of grant money given to museums, symphonies, dance companies shrink to a mere pittance that it used to be. And believe me, the administrators that run the agency hope the public does not notice this. The money is going to payroll and travel and not to the arts. Plus, the state arts agencies get 40% of the NEA budget, and that goes to secure the state arts agencies employees, because it is money that they can count on, it barely goes to artists in the state. I can't believe the lunacy, that journalists never really want to examine the true story, it is public and can easily be uncovered. As a lover of the arts, I would hate to see taxpayer money going to a feel good public idea, but the reality would be a sorry state of taxpayer money going to another ineffectual agency full of the chairman's friends and cronies.

O, Great!!! Let's make every single human endeavor an extension of the great wisdom of "government"!! Why not also have a "Secretary of Religion","Secretary of American Culture", "Secretary of Fashion", or, "Secretary of Authorized News"?? The last thing we need is centralized decision and control of the arts. Arts are an expression of the people - real people, who spend dollars of their own volition in support of the art(ists) they deem desirable. This is proper, since there is a lot of "art" that is only art in the eye of their beholder fans. They should have the privilege of supporting their art openly and freely, without some Annointed One deciding for them. By the way, history is clear, the economy supports the arts, not vice versa.

"What I want to know is what a Secretary of the Arts would do that the Secretary of Education shouldn't already be doing?"
This is a terrible stereotype! Yes there should be a place for the arts in education but they are definitely not one in the same. Art is not just kids stuff. It is not simply a good tool for child development.
Whether or not you agree that the arts should be an endeavor partly funded by the central government please please please re-consider your notion that they are merely a tool of education.

Regardless of how you feel about anyone, the arts are a very important part of our nation, culture and economy. Does anyone realise how much money the arts brings into the economy. Having only graduated high school 4 years ago I know that the arts suffer big time in the shools especialy. The only way to recession proof this country is to educate educate educate. And the big picture is that music and other arts play a big role in how students learn. Compare not only the grades but the ambition and goals of students involved in the arts to those who are not the difference is undeniable. We as a nation have become too use to displaying our right to say and think what ever we want that we spend so much time griping about the people that we dont like and wat they"re doing that we dont pay attention to the big picture. Wat is best for this counrty is more important than our over dramatic opinions about an individual. Get over hating someone and work towards wats best for the nation. And BTW we do have a secretary to fix the economy. Its called the secretary of treasury.

Separation of arts and state!

Seriously, is art good because it doesn't have anything to do with the state?

Much support to Quincy for Secretary of the Arts. Digital media is at it's peak transformation into a new medium - It seems the digital media is destined to create further global cultures by multitudes and American pop culture is the influential core of multi-culture. The term "culture" is positive. Quincy Jones spans, jazz, classical, american rock, pop, r&b, soul and world music. He is a global icon, legend and music mogal. Music is universal, digital media can bring more global awareness to the USA for the next generations. Having a Secretary of the Arts is appropriate for our modern times. I am sure had the arts community had a strong voice to speak out on the Shepard Fairey and Ana Mederos case.
perhaps Obama would have acknowledged it. The copyright infringment is set in place to protect all artists works, primarily against capitalistic corporations who have been ripping off artist since it existed. This should merely be seen in support to all artist rights period. Let' not make it a divisive issue between artist. In design, the root of creation is taking a bit from everyone and creating ones own interpretation. The responsibility lies upon the artist to give credit. We should be so lucky to have new legislations passed. This milestone wouldn't have occued during the last presidency. Administration

Perhaps the secretary of the arts should be a diverse board of people who are there to support arts, NOT influence it. Who knows, maybe it could be a really good thing.